In other cases, fallen branches, barely modified are being bundled together and turned into tables. Pieces of driftwood are being put to practical use, for the first time in their long…drifting… existence.

The Mamaroneck Artist’s Guild, known as MAG does a great job representing artist’s from the Lower Westchester area. Everything they show is of the highest quality. Here are some pieces from their collection I put together to “art up” a prospective sophisticated living room in a cool modern palette with splashes of hot color. I dipped into photography, painting, sculpture and woodcuts. What Fun!!

This just a tiny smattering of the gorgeous art represented by MAG. I’m so proud to have an art gallery with such a broad and eclectic collection, right here in my little town of Larchmont New York! Click here to get a peek at what they’re showing right now. If you’re thinking of coming from Manhattan, it’s just a ten minute walk from Larchmont Train Station.

Which comes first, the art or the fabrics? In this case the art came first, and I was inspired by it to create a collection of coordinating fabrics. Here’s what I came up with for our proposed living room:lsdkjfowiejflskdfloiesldnlsjf;ldflsihslnlskjdfswejfskdnflsflsdnflskdflsif;slf;sdlj;sishdlskd.x,cnvxkhdflsnc.x,vlskdhlskvl

The Mamaroneck Artists Guild, at 126 Larchmont Ave, Larchmont, NY are showing (through July 25th) a remarkable, graphic and moving display of full life size, high resolution portraits of Mamaroneck and Larchmont’s indispensable first responders: police, firefighters and EMTs. The artist photographer of this striking collection of portraits is Robert P. Fine.

Mr. Fine, shown here with his work, gives you an idea of the scale of the pieces. The effect is very dramatic.

Each of the First Responders is identified by name, retaining the importance of the individual, as well as the necessity of team work depicted by the collection as a whole.

On viewing the diverse group of men and women represented here, I’m struck by their cheer and openness, as well as the obvious pride these individuals take in their chosen professions.

The gallery is an open, airy light filled space, painted pure white, creating an excellent stark backdrop for the dark uniforms worn by the subjects.

In addition to Mr. Fine’s compelling approach to photographic portraiture, he is also an accomplished landscape photographer. On his two web sites you can see ample examples of his impressive work in both areas. www.extremeres.com and www.rfinephotography.com

March 6, 2009

This may not be the right time to invest in fine art, but hey, life goes on! Until wall art is hung, even the most beautifully decorated and carefully thought out room is not complete. A splendid alternative to expensive art is framed wallpaper. Currently, many of the wallpaper manufacturers are making beautiful, graphic, large prints that are eminently frameable, and make great wall art.

There are several approaches to such a project. If you need a single large piece that you would use over a sofa, or fire place mantel, choose an oversized abstract design and have it custom framed. Or you can use two 24″x36″ ready made poster frames and hang them side by side. The key is to choose a different area of the print design to center in each of the two frames, so that you don’t end up with two identical pieces.

Ready-made, store-bought frame, and attractive wallpaper

For something medium sized, you can choose an 18″ x 24″ or 24″ x36″ ready made poster frame. Remember most wallpaper runs about 27″ wide. Many representational patterns will have central figure that you can focus in on. For example, a Chinoiserie pattern may have a perched bird. Center this figure, and then crop the wallpaper according to the size of the frame. I have a framed Chinoiserie wallpaper. One of my friends is a connoisseur of Asian art, and she was quite surprised when I pointed it out to her! She assumed that it was framed art. In any case, it’s very pretty, and it makes me feel happy when I look at it!

Vintage wallpapers from the Groninger Museum, The Netherlands

You can create a grouping of three or four small pieces by choosing a thematic novelty pattern. This one has four distinctly different black chair silhouettes on a white background. Each can be cropped, and framed with a ready made photo size frame and mat to make a charming grouping.

Detail of Thibaut- Cantonese color metallic gold

Some tips:

Check on the width of the wallpaper before buying large ready made frames. Some can be as narrow as 20″, though most American papers are about 27″ wide.

Choose a frame that picks up some of the coloring from the print, but retains contrast to the background

For a very large (custom framed) piece, select a pattern that will look good running sideways, such as an abstract or certain florals.

Remember, you don’t need A LOT of wall art, just a few choice pieces, to create few focal points.slkdlkfjg;dkfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlkfjg;dlkfjgl;dkfjg;dkfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg;dlfjg